Ben Hur (1907 film)
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| Ben Hur | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sidney Olcott Frank O. Rose H. Temple |
| Written by | Lew Wallace (book) Gene Gauntier |
| Starring | Herman Rottger as Ben Hur William S. Hart as Messala |
| Distributed by | Kalem Company |
| Release date(s) | December 7, 1907 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | Silent film |
| IMDb profile | |
Ben Hur is a 15 minute long 1907 silent film, the first film version of Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur, one of the best-selling books at that time.
This movie is most notable as a precedent in copyright law. The movie was made without the permission of the author's estate, which was common practice at that time. The screenwriter, Gene Gauntier, remarked in her 1928 autobiography how the film industry at that time infringed upon everything. As a result of the production of Ben Hur, Harper & Brothers and the author's estate brought suit against Kalem Studios, the Motion Picture Patents Company, and Gauntier for copyright infringement. The United States Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the film company in 1911.
The film was directed by Canadian director Sidney Olcott. At fifteen minutes long, only a small portion of the story was put on screen. The focus of the piece was the chariot race, which was filmed on a beach in New Jersey with local firemen playing the charioteers and the horses that normally pulled the fire wagons pulling the chariots.
[edit] See also
- Ben-Hur: other uses
[edit] Other Ben Hur films
About 20 years later Metro Goldwyn Mayer got the right to make the first full film Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ. This film was released in 1925. It was a silent film and partly hand-coloured. William Wyler who directed the 1959 movie Ben Hur was the assistant director of the 1925 movie. Director of the 1925 movie was Fred Niblo.
In 1959 Ben Hur was released in a new style - widescreen, fully coloured and since 1969 stereo-phonic.
As an animated film was Ben Hur released in 2003.
- Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ 1925
- Ben Hur 1959
- Ben Hur 2003
[edit] External links
- Ben Hur at the Internet Movie Database
[{Category:British films]]
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